balance this equation

NaOH + H2SO4 = NaSO4 + H2O

2NaOH + H2SO4 -> Na2SO4 + 2H2O

To balance the equation: NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + H2O, we need to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation is the same.

Let's start by counting the number of atoms for each element on both sides of the equation:

On the left side:
Na: 1
O: 1
H: 1
S: 1

On the right side:
Na: 1
O: 4
H: 2
S: 1

From the count, we see that there are more oxygen and hydrogen atoms on the right side than on the left side. To balance them, we can add coefficients to the molecules:

NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + H2O

To balance oxygen atoms, we can add a coefficient of 2 in front of NaOH:

2NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + H2O

Now, we have:
On the left side:
Na: 2
O: 2
H: 2
S: 1

On the right side:
Na: 2
O: 4
H: 2
S: 1

The oxygen atoms are now balanced, but the hydrogen atoms are still not equal. To balance them, we can add a coefficient of 2 in front of H2O:

2NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + 2H2O

Now, we have:
On the left side:
Na: 2
O: 2
H: 4
S: 1

On the right side:
Na: 2
O: 4
H: 4
S: 1

All the atoms are now balanced. The balanced equation is:

2NaOH + H2SO4 = Na2SO4 + 2H2O